[Well, now, he feels embarrassed!] No, no, no problem at all! It's simply that... I've never encountered one before. Forgive me! [He bows and tries to regain his composure.] ... I am used to those who prey on the dead, not so much the living.

[A pause.] Up until this dire situation, my Chandela has only been feeding on departed souls. It would be terrible if my partner preyed on the passengers, after all. [Besides, feeding on something and then leaving it alive is quite a bit creepier! As... opposed to halfway-killing them and then, tearing a portal into the spirit world to drag them into by force? Nobori, there is definitely something off about your logic here.]